Robbie Brady: The 1 That Got Away From Man Utd; The 1 Premier League Clubs Must Target
Joe Devine |
June 16, 2016 |
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Paul Pogba, Gerard Pique, Giuseppe Rossi, Robbie Brady; the ones who got away. There’s an ever so slight chance that Brady doesn’t belong in this list, but ever since he departed Manchester for the sunny climes of Hull, he’s been my balmy matron, a central pillar of my love affair with football.
Relegated alongside his equally unfortunate Canary compadres, and already shining brighter than UY Scitu (the largest known sun in the universe) at the European Championships, Brady could likely earn himself a transfer, Premier League-bound. I can say, humourlessly, that most Premier League teams would benefit from his signature.
Now 24 years old, Brady never made a senior league appearance for Manchester United. It might seem hard to believe, given the various chuff favoured in recent years, yet his poorly timed birth placed him squarely behind an undroppable left-sided pairing of Patrice Evra and Ryan Giggs. With the brawn of Ryan Tunnicliffe and the grace of Ravel Morrison, Brady was dismissed as a footballing everyman, the left-footed John O’Shea.
His versatility—Brady is comfortable anywhere on the left—sets him apart from most, yet he fits the trend of those unfortunate few, shifted through the cogs in an Old Trafford youth team. With their team constantly stuffed with talent, Manchester United sought to adapt their brightest youth products to fill foreseeable future voids within the first team. Potentially to his benefit, Brady was encouraged to defend. Perhaps the coaching staff considered his attacking limitations, decided he might not displace Cristiano Ronaldo, and agreed that his best chance of appearing useful to Sir Alex Ferguson was as a left-back.
John O’Shea, Darron Gibson, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and more recently, Phil Jones are all examples of players shifted to fit. As a result of this policy, the Premier League is littered with ex-Manchester United youth players, potentially unsure of their primary positions. It is perhaps for this reason that Brady is prized by clubs of a certain calibre. Brady was a key figure in both his Norwich and Hull sides, his versatility frequently useful.
Brady survived the Manchester United academy with another benefit, oft seen in his ex-colleagues. He boasts that clichéd “winning mentality.” It might sound absurd to suggest that of a twice consecutively relegated player, but in both squads, his desire to win was apparent, and occasionally, paramount. He put in four man of the match performances for Norwich this season, and his three goals and two assists are a poor reflection of his overall input.
For Ireland, in their opener against Sweden this week, Norwich colleague Wes Hoolahan may have found the headlines, but Brady’s contribution was second to none. He can perform on the highest stage, and though he isn’t—and fairly so—considered a player of the highest ability, his technical shortfalls are more than made up for in his desire and stamina. The boy will run all day.
The Yellows of East Anglia will be hoping, for their sake, that the Irishman goes unnoticed this summer. Yet, his frequent display of passion, matched with his excellent passing range, superb crossing ability, his capacity to shoot from distance, and his aforementioned absurd levels of stamina, should make him a target for every Premier League club expected to finish in the bottom half, and a handful of those above.
With a good seven years of peak-career ahead of him, Brady might yet convince a few more Manchester United supporters to regret his departure.
